Creepy Doll
by StormyTitan7
Summary: A horror and my first Horror. Ah, yeah, i don't know how to write these. As the name suggests it's just...creepy. Enjoy the L.O.L. goodness though! An unwanted Doll has invited itself to stay the chateau. And it's going to drive Logos and Leblanc mad.
1. Prologue: Lyrics

**Okay i am not a horror expert. In fact, i'm laughing while i make this whole damn thing. but i like this song and i want to make a wide variety of L.O.L. fanfics to hopefully open the door and encourage other peeps to step up to the plate and make these guys famous and happy with many fanfictions. :D**

**This is the lyrics to the song "Creepy Doll" by Jonathan Coulton. It will serve as a prologue respectively Enjoy. **

In a town at the top of the woods

There's a house where no one lives

So you take a big bag of your big city money there

And buy it.

But at night, the house is dark

And you're all alone, there's a door

And you take a deep breath and try it.

And the flashlight shows something moving just inside the door.

There's a tattered dress and a feeling you have felt somewhere before.

And there's a creepy doll

That always follows you

It's got a ruined eye

That's always open…

And there's creepy doll

That always follows you

It's got a pretty mouth

To swallow you whole…

So you scream and you close the door

And you tell yourself it was just a dream

In the morning you head into town,

'Cause you want to go antiquing.

In the store there's a strange old man

With a wandering eye and a withered hand

When he hands you the old wooden box

You can hear his old bones creaking.

And you know what you will find inside the moment that you see

That someone carved your name into the tarnished silver key.

And there's a creepy doll

That always follows you

It's got a ruined eye

That's always open…

And there's creepy doll

That always follows you

It's got a pretty mouth

To swallow you whole…

And when you come home late, the doll is waiting up for you

And when you fix a snack, the doll says it would like one too

The doll is in your house and in your room and in your bed

The doll is in your eyes and in your arm sand in you head-and you are crazy.

Now it's late and you head downstairs

'Cause you just can't sleep so you make some tea

And the doll disapprovingly asks

If you really need that much honey.

You decide that you've had enough

And you lock the doll in the wooden box

You put the box in the fireplace

Next to your bag of big city money.

As the smoke fills up your tiny room there's nothing you can do.

And far too late you see the one inside the box is you.

And there's a creepy doll

That always follows you

It's got a ruined eye

That's always open…

And there's creepy doll

That always follows you

It's got a pretty mouth

To swallow you whole…


	2. Chapter 1: The Creepy Doll

**By Stormytitan**

A hunched man with greasy long black hair plucked at the rough strings of a guitar as a his grimy boot tapped against a music box that cranked out a slow and eerie tune by itself.

"Ormi, hurry up already you big oaf," Logos pulled at the head band that held Ormi's helmet in place.

"Ey!" Ormi hopped on one foot down the sidewalk as his partner yanked him away from the street performer.

Logos rolled his squinted eyes when Ormi finally managed to free himself from the thin fingers, "Really, you have the attention span of a child."

"No's I don't!" Ormi rubbed at his nose as he looked at another performer eating fire. "Come on! It's not like youse can't stops an' watch once in a while."

"No, not when the Boss is waiting for us or did you forget that?" Logos crossed his arms over his chest, "Now, come on already."

"Yeah, Yeah," Ormi nodded and followed after the quickly retreating steps, "The Boss….what are we's lookin' for again?"

"Someone selling trinkets," Logos made a circle with his thumb and trigger finger, "Gems and small things, she is the only one on the street."

This particular street in Luca was known for the performers that occupied it and strange exotic presentations along the sidewalks. Unfortunately, it also was known for its thieves and pickpockets. On any other day, Logos and Ormi, especially Leblanc, would have no reason to venture down into this part of Luca. But a few days ago a strange request came in for a particular rare sphere. They offered a few extra gil on top of all that, so the Leblanc Syndicate couldn't help but comply and sell the already pricey sphere.

Leblanc wanted to see this odd person herself. It wasn't everyday someone was willing to buy a sphere as high-priced as this particular one. The boss figured that if she made a 'nice' impression on the woman interested by showing interest herself than perhaps Leblanc could convince her to 'show interest' in some other spheres.

"What's the broad look like?" Ormi circled around, looking at all the tables that vendors sold petty souvenirs.

"I have no clue, look for the boss instead," Logos shook his head and titled his hips to peer behind him, "Found her."

"Oh, good," Ormi followed Logos's line of vision to the hot pink shape in front a dark clothed table.

They casually made their way toward her and stood behind her as they always had. Earlier she sent them on errands that they completed before they made their way to Performer's Town (the name that the street was called even though it was indefinitely part of Luca and only a long street not a town).

"Did you get them done?" Leblanc looked over at her two underlings, who simply nodded in return.

"Oh? More of you?" The thin vendor popped up from under the table, gil in hand.

Leblanc blinked and nodded, as Logos stared off to the side stealthily. The woman had long, wild, purple-black hair and a lithe lightly muscled frame. She had a jeweled, sky-blue and gold mid-drift shirt and baggy pants, glitter rubbed against her arms, legs and mid section, and many bracelets dangling from her thin wrists. She smiled with dark plump lips and wiggled her fingers at Logos, staring at him with gold cat-like eyes.

"Eh, HEM!" Leblanc coughed and smacked the table with her fan, "The gil, if you don't mind."

"Oh?" the vendor kept looking at the Syndicate gunner, and pushed the bag across the table, "It's all there."

"We'll see," Leblanc was nice and polite earlier to the woman but suddenly became cold and harsh as the little hoochy continued to flaunt her form as she 'pretended' to jam to the music down the street. Just because a woman dresses provocatively doesn't mean you have to actually act like a whore. Really, Leblanc could do it and not act like that.

"Hey," Leblanc snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face, "We're missing that extra bit you said you would pay."

"After I see the sphere," The woman winked at Logos and Leblanc smacked the table, "What?"

"We don't run like that with spheres this rare," Leblanc shook her head, "You shouldn't offer extra if you didn't mean to pay-"

"I do, it's extra anyways, only when I see the sphere do I pay it alright?" The woman finally turned back to Leblanc, "I want it either way, but I'm looking for something."

"Here," Leblanc waved her hand at Ormi, who passed the teal sphere to her, "This is it."

The girl narrowed her gold eyes and smiled, "Nice I like it."

"The extra piece then?" Leblanc leaned forward, her palms against the table, "Hmm?"

"Here," The girl passed a flimsy paper to the open purple-gloved hand, "Boss."

"Don't do that," Leblanc lifted her hand to her face, and frowned, "A coupon? No, we wanted-"

"I said 'extra', I never said it was gil. Take it if you want it, I've got two more if you guys want 'im," The woman smiled and swished her hand through the air, bracelets jingling.

"Uhnnn,' Logos shook his head and looked at Leblanc, who was slightly fuming.

"What does this go for?" Leblanc waved the coupon in the air. She may not look like it, but Leblanc liked deals and saving. How else could she make a business like the Syndicate work out of the damn blue?

"Anything here," The woman opened her arms and displayed the items on the table, "Anything look good?"

"Hmm," Leblanc leaned over and inspected the items, cheap little trinkets, nothing to her taste. However way the woman made the money, Leblanc had no clue. Though, she guessed it had something to do how she was looking at Logos yet again.

"You have cool eyes you know that?" The vendor leaned on her bony little elbow, "And your super tall? Was your parents like that?"

"Excuse me," Leblanc waved a hand in front of the vendor's face bringing it back to her, "Do you have anything maybe worth selling somewhere else?"

"Hmm, a moment please," The woman stood and turned her back to them. She walked a couple of steps slowly, swinging her hips slightly, and bent down to some boxes behind the table. Logos tilted his head to the side, watching, before Ormi elbowed him in his side.

"Here take this," The girl came back, smiling at Logos's pink face, "It's an old creepy doll. I obviously don't want it. But you can pawn antiques like this for serious gil sometimes. Sorry I don't have much of anything else."

The doll had a oversized head, black spidery hair that flowed down its back, and large white blank eyes. Its body was cloth, in contrast to its porcelain face, and a tattered black dress covering it's lack of feet. It had a very spectral look to it and the smile that stretched across it's face was very mocking. Not at all a good child's toy.

"Uh, yeah," Leblanc pushed it back, "I don't want this either."

"I don't blame you," The vendor held it out between her fingers and threw it behind her shoulder into the box, "I hate it, I just want to get rid of it, you know? Some old guy gave my to me for no reason. Real creepy."

"I still don't want it." Leblanc shook her head, "You know what? Forget it, hope you enjoy the sphere."

"Okay, Bye bye then," the woman waved and flashed one last grin at the gunner, "Bye, Cool Guy."

"By-OI!" Logos hopped on one foot down the sidewalk as his Boss yanked him away from the street vendor by his headband.

"Come on already, Logos," Leblanc stomped away.

"_Come on, come on, come on, come on!"_

"Boss you only had to say it once."

"I did," Leblanc released the band, looking at him strangely.

"Hmm?" Logos cocked his head slightly, "I thought…never mind."


	3. Chapter 2: Just a Bad Dream

"Ugh, That took forever!" Ormi dragged his wide feet through Guadosalem and up the hill to the abandoned mansion of Seymour Guado, now the Leblanc Syndicate.

"I didn't want to spend the night anywhere," Leblanc trudged sleepily toward their home. Between the hover stops and actual distance between Luca and Guadosalam it took them deep into the late night and early morning to get there.

"Hmn," Logos rubbed his eyes, "Boss we should just get to sleep before we cause injury to ourselves."

"Right," Leblanc past the Goons who leaned against each other as they slept, "Let's just go."

Ormi and Logos headed down to their own respected rooms as Leblanc made her way up the stairs to her room. Leblanc didn't even bother changing her clothes into her sleep wear as she fell asleep into the soft mattress.

**L.O.L. **

Logos heard a noise that shook him out of his sleep. He at first didn't realize what woke him up at all. He laid underneath his heavy Leblanc Syndicate logo comforter until he heard the noise again. It was loud, like something falling to the floor.

He closed his eyes again and laid heavily into the pillow. Probably Ormi turning in his sleep again, he was large enough to knock things over.

It did it again, only he could hear where it was coming from now. Above him, upstairs, it sounded like something bouncing over and over again on the floor.

Yawning he leaned over and checked the time, "Damn Goons."

He had only slept for a hour. Rubbing his eyes he got up and walked to his door. Whoever was daring to bother him at three in the morning would feel his wrath, perhaps even his bullet if he woke up a bit more.

He made it to the living room, and no one was in there. The sound cracked against the floor in the first room. Groaning, Logos opened the door and made his way out, "Goons!"

_Up the stairs! Up the stairs!_

"What?" Logos turned to his side, where the voice came from, "Hn?"

Nothing was there. The gunner rubbed his ear as he looked up the stairs toward the bedroom at the top of the flight. "Boss?"

He must've been more tired then he first presumed. Shaking his head, he rubbed the goosebumps from his arms, and climbed the stairs as another knock sounded from the top of them.

Now it sounded like something was rolling across the ground. He felt his childlike imagination flair at the thought of a dismembered head wobbling over the ground. Logos scoffed at the thought and flicked his cheek to wake himself up more. Yevon knows he was to old for being scared of the dark and strange noises.

The goon at Leblanc's door leaned into her door frame, head drooping as he slept. Like Ormi and Logos, most of the goons were incredibly loyal to the Boss. So much so, that they rarely left the guard spot when Leblanc was in the mansion, even to sleep in their own damn beds. Logos smirked at the thought that the Goon would probably do very little in stopping an intruder. The only thing he would manage to do was warn the boss long enough to get out there and help their poor souls.

_Come on, Logos. Come on._

He rubbed at his ears again, his side bangs clinging to his face. If something were to fall on his head, he'd be dead, because he left the helmet downstairs. He shook his head once more as he noted that something falling on his head was a stupid worry. What would fall on his head anyways?

"Boss?" Logos asked into the door as a knock came from within. "Boss are you awake?"

"Logos, are you the one making that sound?" Leblanc sounded agitated.

"No, I thought it was you, Boss." Logos heard the sound again, "Boss?"

"Get in here and find what's making that damn banging noise," Leblanc called from her bed and waited for Logos to open the door.

He did so, and looked around. Nothing seemed different or out of place.

"Boss?" Logos looked at the bed, "I don't hear it anym-"

"Logos?" Leblanc tensed up as Logos froze mid-sentence.

"Boss, duck!" Logos lurched forward and she complied and quickly. A object flew over her head and into Logos's chest. It hit him with a force that knocked his breath from him and pushed him to the ground. The first thought that ran through both their heads was it was a fiend. It moved like a haunt, but was so small.

Logos pushed it off, clutching the bruise on his chest. Leblanc turned on the lamp light, and in the brightness she saw a black-white shape on the ground. It was the same doll from the street vendor.

Logos picked it up, "Real funny Boss."

"Don't look at me, I didn't do a thing." Leblanc crossed her arms and looked behind her. No one was there either.

"Boss, you shouldn't throw it like that. You'll break it." Logos looked at the porcelain face. A long crack diagonally crossed over its left eye, leaving the closable blank eyes wide open. He titled his wrist and the right eye closed but not the left. The whiteness stared up at him as the grin on it face appeared even wider than before.

"I didn't throw it," Leblanc scooted away from it when Logos tossed it to the bed beside her. "Stop it, you're freaking me out."

It rolled to the ground and hit the floor with a sound that made chills go up both Leblanc and Logos's arms. Its head banged against the carpet then laid on it's back, the crack more noticeable now.

"L-logos, get rid of it." Leblanc rubbed her arms, "I didn't want it then, and I don't want it now."

"Sure, Boss," Logos moved towards it, not exactly sure he wanted to touch the thing at all.

It…for the lack of a better word…hissed before rolling under the bed and out of sight.

Logos backed up, hands in front of his body. Leblanc pulled her legs away from the side and stared at the floor. The rolling sound stopped slowly.

"Boss? Logos?" Ormi, also without his helmet, came through the partially opened door, "What are youse doing?"

Logos jumped in the air, fumbled with his feet before landing turned toward the door. Leblanc yelped and brought her pillow to her chest. Both had wide eyes and both of them screamed at the sudden appearance of the shield barring warrior.

"Ormi, what are you doing!" Leblanc lowered her shoulders but couldn't numb her nerves down, "Well?"

"I was hearing knocking an' uh…Why are Logos and youse in here alone?" Ormi smiled then dodged Logos's punch towards him.

"Oh, shut up, I'm in here for the same reason you are," Logos pushed past him, "Get that doll thing out of the boss's bed and get out."

"Doll thing?" Ormi entered and promptly did as he was told and looked under the bed, "What doll thing?"

Leblanc swallowed and flipped over the edge to peer underneath the side, "Hmm? It's not there."

"Are youse two sure?" Ormi's smile widened " Youse two don't have to hide anything from-."

"Get out, both of you!" Leblanc pointed and jutted out her bottom lip slightly, her brows furrowed.

"Right boss!" Logos blushed under Ormi's 'assuming' stare and retreated out the door as quickly as he could before hearing the door slam behind them. The goon woke up with a start and looked over at them.

"Why are you two here?"

"Nothing," Logos shook his head before mumbling, "Idiot."

"Why'd youse guys scream anyways?" Ormi was already halfway down the stairs when he looked back up at the gunner.

"Nothing" Logos repeated himself, "It was…just a bad dream. Nothing more."

After given the answer, Ormi looked more confused than before, "Auuuuuhhh, okay…"


	4. Chapter 3: Lock in a Box

"What do you want?" Logos leaned on his elbow in the kitchen. No one ever really came in there, so it was a great place to hide the fact he kept hearing voices in his head and seeing things.

_Nnnnothing… _the same doll from the night before rolled its head along the counter, bumping into his propped elbow.

"Go away already," Logos flicked at it, "No one wants you here."

_I want to be here, _the doll smiled wider, _oh, please, oh, please don't send me away._

"Why are you bothering me," Logos moved along the counter and opened the cabinet.

_To drive you mad, mad, mad! Hee hee hee!_

The laughter shook it from side to side violently. It looked like it was going to self destruct before it finally calmed down again. It rolled closer to Logos and watched the gunner intently.

_What are you doing? _

He sighed, " I don't know…"

_Let's go somewhere I'm bored…._

"Oh, you're your free to go whenever you please."

_But how would that bother you? Besides I'll be patient and wait, you can't stay in here forever…_

"Logos?" Leblanc stuck her head in through the door, "How'd I know you'd be in here?"

"Boss," Logos pointed to the counter, "Tell me I'm just sleep deprived and that this thing is just a part of my imagination."

Leblanc's face sank, "No, I see it too."

"Damn it," Logos hissed through his teeth, "What are we going to do with it?"

_You could try…you could try…._

Leblanc looked a tad bit more paler, "I didn't know it could talk…"

"All morning," Logos swiped at it, but it hopped to the next countertop, "And it won't shut its trap. It's rather-"

_Annoying? _

"Quite," Logos's eyes narrowed, "I'm thinking I might shoot you in the face and see how your porcelain face fares with that."

_How would yours if I did that?_

He felt chills in his spine at the light voice that, rather innocently actually, spoke to him in a somewhat bored tone.

"What do you want anyways." Leblanc poked the soft body, "Why not go bother that whore in Performer's Town?"

"Whore?" Logos looked slightly amused, "Whatever do you mean by that, Boss?"

"Nothing," Leblanc rolled her eyes and pointed them back to the doll on the counter, "Well?"

_You saw it didn't you? She kept me in a box that meanie._

Logos and Leblanc seemed to have the same idea come upon them at the same time, "A box?"

_Oh, don't think about it. I was nice to her but not to you guys if you do the same thing._

"Oh, of course," Logos grabbed its hair and lifted it in the air, "But you can't get out of a box can you?"

_Can you?_ It smiled wickedly, showing its sharp teeth through its red lips.

"That depends on the box." Logos shook its smile away, "If we get a sturdy one, you won't be getting out would you?"

_Ah, if there's a hole I'm popping out of it! There isn't a chest you could keep me in. There isn't a lid you can just place over me. I would get out._

"That so?" Logos dropped it and it rolled on the floor, "So a riddle then. What can we stick you in that will keep you in. It must be secure and with no holes to let you out.

"A safe," Leblanc kicked at it as it rolled closer, "Let's go get one."

_What am I going to do here?_

"Sit tight, we'll be back," Logos picked it up again and threw it in the oven. He closed the door with a heavy clang and sighed in relief, looking over his shoulder at Leblanc, "Shall we go?"

**_Creepy Doll..._**

****"Boss," Logos held out a small one, "It's not expensive and it's just that little pest's size."

"Okay, I'll bite. Let's get it," Leblanc looked closer at the decorative surface, "Sort of nice for an inexpensive one though."

"It's Guado, everything looks nicer than it is." Logos turned to the shop keeper in the and brought it to him, "We want this."

"Oh, that's a good one," He smiled and reached behind the counter, "I'll just get you the key."

"Key?" Logos and Leblanc looked at the wooden box. It had a dial on one side that seemed to serve as a 'key'.

"Oh, no," The shop keeper corrected them and showed them that after the right turns the dial moves so a key hole could be seen. He held out the silvery key for them to take. "Here."

"Oh," Leblanc took it first and handed over the gil, "Thank you."

Outside, they stood in the store's eaves for a while, breathing in the moist air that was Guadosalem.

Logos smiled and looked down at her, box in his long arms, "Did you sleep fine, Boss?"

"What do you think?" Leblanc laughed half-heartily under her breath, "No, I kept thinking it was beneath me. I haven't been scared of monsters under my bed since I was a little girl. Honestly, it was...rather humiliating to think I was even a bit scared of something not even a quarter of my size."

"I don't like it myself," Logos patted her shoulder, "Nothing to worry about. My only question is what is it really?"

"A curse of some sort? Some Black Mage's sick game? I've seen doll's that can move before with the Black Mage's but I never seen them act so...independently." Leblanc shook herself and stomped the ground once, "Ah, that thing gives me the creeps."

"I agree with you full heartily, Boss." Logos leaned down slightly and hovered over her.

"Why are you smiling, idiot?" Leblanc leaned back a bit away from his face, "Are you only agreeing with me because it's me?"

"Oh, yes and no." Logos stood straighter and looked back in the direction of their home, "Care to go back now?"

"Wait let me check if we have everything,"Leblanc dug through the bag that Logos held in his other arm, "I'd hate to leave without it."

"Hrm, that would be a problem," Logos leaned down so she could get to the bag easier, "Make sure we have that key. It would be awful if we couldn't lock that thing away."

"Ow!" Leblanc retracted her hand away, the key sticking to her hand like it was heated and melding to her skin. She shook it off and blew on the red line that burned through her gloves. Logos dropped the bag completely and took her burnt palm in his hand. She stayed still for a moment, a tear in the corner of her eye, as he put cool breath on it.

"Logos?" Leblanc moved in her spot a bit.

"Hmm?" He made a small circle with his lips as he blew on the burn, "Boss?"

"You don't have to do that."

He dropped her palm and his face turned pink, "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Uh, no, thank you actually." She looked at the burn, "It made it feel...better."

"You're welcome, Boss," Logos smiled oddly again, "My pleasure."

She looked down at the white hot key on the ground. It cooled after a while and steam came off of it's damaged surface. Leblanc bent down and touched it with the ends of her fingers before lifting it off the blackened ground. She looked at it, her eyes grew wide, and she dropped it like it was biting her.

"Boss?" Logos caught the falling key, "Is is your burns?"

"No, look at it." Leblanc bent closer to it as he held it out. In thin red letters was her name on the key's surface.

Logos gasped as the letters started to shake and break apart. They changed themselves to his name.

He dropped it and they stood there a while, not quite sure what they were going to do next.

"Logos..." Leblanc bit her plump lips, "I don't think locking it in a box is going to work..."

"..."


	5. Chapter 4: Lay in Waiting

"Damnit," Logos rubbed at his eyes as he leaned into the back of the couch in Leblanc's room. "It won't go away."

_Ah, do you mean me?_

"Shut it," Leblanc swatted the doll off her bed and it landed on the floor with a heavy thud. It rolled around in a circle than slipped under the bed again.

"Why aren't you bothering anyone else in this place?" Logos watched as the doll came out the other side and around back to the middle of the room. "There is Ormi you know? He hasn't been bothered by you yet."

_Oh, he ain't going to. I don't think he'd be near as bothered as you two are._

"Why are you doing this?" Leblanc tried to stomp on its face as it rolled by, "I don't see what we ever did to you."

_I don't want it._

"Want what?" Logos crossed his arms.

_Are you crazy yet?_

"Getting near damn crazy," Logos stood up and held back the temptation to simply shoot it. Yevon knows what would happen then since it seemed to have 'other' powers._  
><em>

"We could sell it," Leblanc rubbed her temples, "I just don't want it around."

"I agree," Logos back from Leblanc to look around on the ground, then he rolled his eyes, "Damn it, where'd it go now?"

Leblanc followed Logos's gaze around the room, she then sighed, and shrugged her small shoulders, "Oh, I don't know."

Crazy may not have be used to classify them yet, but tired could be easily.

**L.O.L.**

_Are you crazy yet?_

"You would like that wouldn't you?" Leblanc walked in through the front door and it was in the middle of the front room, waiting up for her.

_Very much so._

She looked around and noticed how quiet it was, "I'm surprised a goon hasn't found you yet."

_I'm only here for you and the cute one._

"The cute one?" Leblanc raised her head a little, a smile spreading over his lips, the first one directed to the doll in a while, "Ah, so are you that Hussy's doing?"

_Put-me-in-a-box-lady? No, I was here before that. _

"Oh, is that so?" Leblanc leaned forward with an air of suspicion in her voice, "Funny how you use her same words though."

_When a human is cute it's cute. Handsome is handsome and ugly is ugly. But I'm not talking outside. I'm talking about how defensive he gets over you and how he still thinks he can get rid of me for you. Hee heee hee hee now that' s really cute. He is going to die trying I assure you, **BOSS!**  
><em>

She felt shivers crawl up her flesh, "What are you going to do to him? Give him nightmares? He isn't going to die from some measly doll **I **can assure you that!"

_Confidence in him is misplaced. I can easily get rid of both of you if I wanted to. Humans are fragile like-_ It rolled onto it side and the other not broken eye creaked open, _glass._

Leblanc closed her eyes, this was starting become a problem...

"Y-you can't hurt us. You can't...hurt us...you can't-"

"Boss, who's youse talkin' to?" Ormi came from the living room and looked around, his pudgy face twisted up in a face of utter confusion.

She slowly opened her eyes, knowing full well the doll wasn't going to be there like it should be. "No one, love. Just forget it."

"Are youse feeling okay? Logos is actin' strange too, youse know?" Ormi rubbed his cheek with his fat forefinger, "Like, youse two are talking to things that ain't there and knocking crap off the tables an' stuff."

She shook her head, thinking. How could she explain it to him without sounding crazy? **Oh yeah, you know that doll thing that hussy tried giving us? Well, it turns out its was some sort of vodoo doll that for some reason beyond comprehension is haunting me and Logos. **Yeah, right…

"Sleep deprivation? Stress?" She rolled her shoulders back and stared at the ceiling, half expecting the doll to be there, "Take your pick."

"Youse haven't been sleeping well?"

**That was an understatement. **The doll was _always _around at night. It rolled around on the floor, under her bed, and back around again. Sometimes it would hop onto her mirror stand and stare at its own reflection, smiling at her when her eyes caught its face off of the glass. Worse though, was when it jumped onto the foot of her bed and nip at her toes with it's sharp little teeth through her blanket. She would bleed after awhile and it would laugh, never leaving her alone.

Logos had long given up coming upstairs to 'check' if she was alright. She never was, but she always shooed him away as fast as possible. Every time he got in there and stayed to long the actions of it jumping him would repeat itself. He'd have to leave and the thought of being in the same room as something that just left scratches and bite marks on his arms would become all the more unbearable.

"Uhm, hmm? Did you say something, love?" Leblanc was in the middle of remembering when she shot it with all her best spells she could think of. It didn't work of course because it was a** doll** and didn't have blood or a heart to stop beating.

"I's says maybe youse should take a nap," Ormi pointed under his eyes, "Youse kinda getting circles if youse don't mind me's saying."

"No, you're right," Leblanc lightly touched them. They had formed and it's only been a week since that piece of shit got there. But since then she hadn't slept once. Not even a light wink...

"Boss," Logos stuck his head out, then his entire body, from the living room. Dark circles had formed under his squinted eyes too. How sad.

"Hmm?" She felt more tired than she ever had. Leblanc never seemed to run out of steam and enthusiasm but she could only muster so much after realizing that they weren't getting rid of this thing.

Logos looked a little sad himself at her lack of energy. She never looked so…defeated. It wasn't depression, like when she heard of Meyvn Nooj's disappearance, no, it was defeat at the knowledge that the damned doll wouldn't disappear with anything they had.

"I think you and I should go out." Logos shook his head when he noticed how it first sounded, "…outside. There is erm…a sphere wave and…"

"Oh." Leblanc nodded, understanding what he was going for. She turned back to her wider underling, "Ormi, could you, uhm, stay here for…"

"Watch the goons, they've been trying to make a new set of Battlesnakes and it hasn't been going so well with the tests. Not to mention the fiends down there have tripled in the last week," Logos pointed back the living room, "And the door won't close. I just found that out when I attempted it just now."

"Oh, Yeah okay." Ormi nodded and walked past the gunner, "I'll take care of that now, if youse want."

"That would be great Ormi," Leblanc flashed a smile, "I couldn't be happier if you could do that."

"Right! Just leave it to me!" He almost look proud of himself as he left to take care of a problems that really did exist. Maybe all this misfortunes were **it's **fault but to say that was to almost admit that they were paranoid.

"That'll keep him busy, let's go." Logos held out his hand to the front door where she just came out of, "We couldn't sleep in here, even if we wanted too."

"No, I get what you mean," She turned and walked back out again, dipping her head to the slightly confused Goons outside who questioned why she was out again already.

Logos followed after her and glared at them when the were more confused to not find Ormi along with them.

They walked out a while then Leblanc stopped.

"Do you have any ideas where were going?"

He smiled wearily and shrugged, "There is several things I want to do."

"Like what?" Leblanc placed a hand on her hip.

"Well, with all this damn stress a bar would be nice." His smile grew a bit more, "But I doubt that's anything you have in mind."

"No, that sounds nice." Leblanc smiled back.

His face dropped as he remembered something, "Boss, we should probably be coming up with more ideas on how to get rid… of our problem. Instead of doing things that won't-"

She shook her head, her gold locks swaying a bit, "No, I want to just forget about it for a while."

"Forget?" Logos sighed, "That would be nice but I keep hearing its voice no matter where I go."

"Well, let's go get drunk to where you don't have to hear it." Leblanc grabbed his hand and encouraged him to follow close behind her, "First, though I realized something."

"What, Boss?" Logos swallowed, **It would be a baaaddd idea if I became too drunk with the Boss so close. It's not like I'm a mean drunk but…wait, take that back, I have been the cause of many a bar fight. Hmm, well, in any case I can't keep my mouth shut when I'm under the influence of alcohol. It would be a bad thing indeed if I said something she found...unpleasant.  
><strong>

"It might look…suspicious if you and I were just…'out' together." Leblanc looked around and dropped his hand, a pink tinge on her cheeks. She coughed and stood straighter, "I mean, we know what it is but we have no way of explaining that to other people with our...'problem' and all."

"Oh, yes, well." Logos rubbed the back of his head and looked around. He smiled again and held up his trigger finger, "Wait a moment, Boss."

He disappeared into a store and was gone for a little under five minutes. When he came back he had a two sets of men's clothes.

"Sorry, boss, the damn clerk was by the woman's clothes so I couldn't-" He was stopped short when her hand came across his face, and he held his hand up to the stinging "Ow! What was that for, Boss?"

"You stole that!" Leblanc pointed at the clothing.

"Well, it would have been suspicious if I bought it. For Yevon's sake I only wear my uniform and every one knows that!" Logos sighed and held out a bundle for her, "It might be a little bit big but you should put it on. If you walk around in that everyone is going to know who you are!"

"I'm not a thief so I won't wear stolen-"

Logos raised an eyebrow and stared down at her face,"Mmm-hmm."

"Ah! That thing with the Gullwings was just a one time thing!" Leblanc crossed her arms and stared back. His eyes eventually overpowered hers, because let's face it his was far more intense, and she held out her hand. "Oh, give me it already. We'll return it once we're done with it."

"My intention all along," Logos handed the bundle off, and looked around, "Now, a place to change..."

"Come on," Leblanc grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into a back alley, "If we do it quick here no one will see."

"Ah, but I'm here and-"

"I expect you to turn around Perv!" She turned her back and glared over her shoulder at him until he smiled and turned around himself. "Good, now stay that way or so help me-"

"I would never dream of that." She could hear Logos tugging off his clothes as he chuckled slightly.

"Good," She repeated and peeked over her shoulder. Her intention was to see if he was still turned around but she caught a view of his smooth back being slowly exposed instead.

Blushing slightly, she swiveled her head back and quickly undid her dress. She kept looking from side to side to see if anyone else would join them and she yanked on the men's clothing as fast as she could, embarrassed at the thought of someone seeing her naked. And with a potentially equally naked Logos right behind her on top of that.

"Are you done?" She twirled around and faced him. She ended up blushing again as he pulled up his pants and looked over his shoulder.

"See something interesting, Boss? You look a little red in the face." His smile was something she had never seen before. He had his eyes closed and his teeth showing too. It was far more expressive than his usual self.

"Shut up, I wish I could see something," Leblanc rolled her eyes and picked up the pink cloth at her feet. "Shoot, the shoes…"

"Lose them," Logos tugged off his own shoes, "We wouldn't be the only people in Spira to go without them."

"I'd rather not." Leblanc crossed her arms, "The streets are dirty and-"

"I'll go get shoes," He smiled and even laughed a bit, "What size do you wear, little Miss Picky-?"

"Find out," She chucked her foot wear at his head and he caught them in his arms after the impact with his face.

"Well, okay then," he seemed to find it more humorous, "I'll be back, you hide our clothes somewhere we can find them again."

"Fine, go." She picked up the blue mass on the ground, "Hurry up."

He turned down the alley way and back out into the street, then he looked both ways and disappeared into the light of the afternoon colored street.

She rubbed her now gloveless fingers, in her hand was his shirt.

It was surprisingly warm and she lifted it to her face to smell it, just out of curiosity, and took a strong sniff inward.

It smelled clean. He always had a crisp smell to him, a partially gunpowder smell too, but overall he smelled like old dusty books and fruit.

It was actually a weird mixture of smells but that was him. He himself was a weird mixture so the smell suited him well. He was, after all, an intelligent pervert and that was something you didn't exactly come by everyday. A weird mix for a weird mix, what else would you expect?

"Does it smell nice?" Logos's voice startled her, again that dumb smile was glued on his face.

"Shut up, I smelled something bad and I was looking for it." She tossed his shirt with the rest of their clothes behind a dumpster. It was going to smell like shit when they put it on again but at the moment she didn't care.

"Here," He held out a pair of boots for her, "For once, you get to wear flat wear."

"Isn't that nice." She took it in her hands and bent down to stuff her feet into them. "Let's go already."

"Oh, wait," Logos reached out and touched her hair. He lightly slid the pins out and put them down with the clothes. He then ran her fingers through her mess of blonde and her hairstyle went limp as he shook the spikes.

"Hey, what was that for?" Leblanc touched the sides of her head. The spikes weren't sticking out anymore, "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get it like this?"

"Boss," He removed his hands, "People will recognize you less when your hairs down like that. I barely recognize you, you're hair is longer than one would've expected."

"Well," She jutted out her lip, "Ask next time."

"Will do," Logos nodded, the happy expression still dancing over his face, and looked down the alleyway behind her, rubbing his hands, "Where to?"

"I'm thirsty."

**L.O.L.**

She snorted for Yevon knows how many times and bent her head over her glass.

"What?" Logos wasn't drunk yet, as many times as he had been before it took quite a bit to make him so.

"I didn't know you had earrings." Leblanc reached out for his lobes and touched the silver rings in them, "I never took you as the type."

"Type for what?"

"Earrings, silly, what else was I talking about just then?" Leblanc took another sip of her glass, her head bobbing slightly as she inwardly hiccupped, "Oh, hey."

"Mm?"

"How are you feeling?" Leblanc blinked and leaned in a bit closer than Logos think she intended, "Good?"

"Oh, fine," Logos lifted his bottle to his mouth, "Better than earlier by all means if that is what you're asking."

"God, I'm tired though," Leblanc yawned and leaned into her other palm as her elbow rested on the bar. She tapped the table top with her fingers before turning back to Logos, " I can't sleep by myself in my room anymore…"

"Well, I can understand that…" Logos frowned into the liquid and he set it back down, "Actually, I never seen it in my room. I always have encounters with it elsewhere."

"Oh?" Leblanc seemed to slightly sober up at the words, "I always see it in my room, well, other places too. But it's relentless in my room."

"I've seen," Logos pushed up his sleeve and looked at the bite marks that ran up and down them. Sighing, he recovered his arms. "The voice tends to bother me wherever I go."

"Now?"

Logos waited, "Hold on."

**If this thing doesn't stop bothering me, I'll shoot it.**

_You called?_

"Yep," He nodded and let his head fall onto the bar.

"Well," Leblanc rubbed the back of his ears with her fingers, where they had yet to leave actually, "Hmm…"

He rubbed his legs together and fidgeted. Good god, did she even realize what she was doing? He tried to think of everything, anything!, that didn't have to do with well…what he felt at the moment.

"I think," Leblanc hiccupped, "We could try to go to Luca and ask that little hussy exactly what is up with it."

"I never thought it would be such a complicated problem but," He gulped in air as her fingers trailed down his neck and to his shoulder, "w-we could try."

"Let's go tonight," Leblanc nodded and moved her hand to his upper arm, grasping it, "Let's go now."

"Eh? It's in Luca and it's…two in the morning." Logos shook his head, "Being reasonable we should go tomorrow."

"I don't want to sleep in my room," Leblanc hiccupped again, "I tol' you that I can'd sleep in there…"

"Well," Logos rubbed the back of his neck and thought for a second, "My room doesn't seem to-"

She looked at him seriously, "I'm not sleeping in your room."

"I'll sleep on the side benches," Logos gave an encouraging smile, "If it makes you feel anymore comfortable."

She took in his words slowly, processing it and weighing them. She sighed and drank down the last of her drink, "Fine."

**L.O.L.**

_Think it's going to work?_

"Wonderful," Logos smiled as Leblanc walked in, "I never thought I'd get you in my bed."

"Oh shut it, love," Leblanc cocked her hip to the side and put her hands on them, "My clothes smell."

"You could change them," Logos looked at the pile of men's clothes on the card table, "It wouldn't hurt to keep wearing that."

"Hmm, fine, you know what to do." Leblanc twirled her fingers, signaling him to turn around.

He lifted up his palms and almost made a show of him turning around. After he planted his feet against the carpet, completely turned away, she nodded and slipped from her magenta dress.

After much rustling, she told him he could look again.

"So, Boss," Logos laid down on the bench to the left, opposite of the card table side, "What if the woman isn't there?"

"What woman?" Leblanc laid on his bed and sunk her head into pillow. It was squishy, unlike her pillows which were just soft, she could actually sink into his bedding. And as she side-noted, it smelled like his clothes.

"In Luca, the one we're going to seek out tomorrow." Logos propped his head up with his arm, "Hmm?"

"Oh, whore-woman," Leblanc yawned, her eyes closed, and snuggled deeper into the pillow that she had her arms wrapped around, "Then we track that bitch down, simple as that."

"Is she really that horrible a person that you must insult her?"

"She flirted with you," Leblanc opened one amber eye, "So openly, did you see how the way she raised her arms to make her boobs look bigger? Such a little hussy."

"Ah, well," Logos laid down completely and smiled out of the corner of his mouth, " So what if some woman are attracted to me and more...well, open with their assets?I don't think I really minded it all that much."

"Of course you wouldn't perv." Leblanc closed her eye again and snorted, "Such a man-whore yourself, sometimes."

"Well, well, " Logos raised an eyebrow, "Aren't we being mean today?"

"Shut up," Leblanc rolled onto her back, her eyes half open as she did so. "I don't want to hear you."

"Hmm, fine." Logos cupped his neck with his palms as he bent his elbows behind his head, "Good night then, Boss."

"Good night," She rolled over again and was on her side, her back to him. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in close to no time at all, considering her lack of sleep that week it only made sense.

_Hey, Leblanc what's up?_

**I thought you only talked to Logos.**

_You're in his room._

**Just let me sleep won't you? I'm tired…**

_How tired? _

**Stop it, please. Just stop it**

_Feel like you're dealing with a child?_

**Starting too. **

_Well, I'm starting to feel like I'm dealing with meanies and I don't like meanies._

**I don't like being tired. **

_I don't like being ignored. It makes me mad._

She opened her eyes, a chill in her spine. Behind her she could hear the distinct sound of rolling.

"Logos?" she swallowed hard and closed her eyes tight, "Logos. Come closer."

"Mmm?" He sounded groggy, like he was still sleeping. "What?"

The rolling sound stopped and she froze as the bottom of the bed suddenly had pressure on it.

"L-Logos," She felt it get closer to her body and she retracted her feet away. She jumped out, throwing the cover to the side and jumped on Logos, waking him up fully.

"Logos!" She stared at the blanket that was on the floor, writhing with the shape inside it.

"Ugh…" He coughed as he tried to catch his wind back from where she knocked it completely out of him when her body hopped on top of his (which in most cases would thrill him if it didn't hurt so damn much).

"Boss, what is it?"

"It's here, look," She pointed to the floor and he squinted his eyes against the darkness.

The blanket was being tossed around as if something struggled inside of it. Eventually, its thrashing freed itself and it 'hissed' staring up at them blankly with it's broken eye. Black tendrils of knotted hair snaked into its face to partially cover the expression against the porcelain, which was contorted into a sharp toothed frown and angry thin furrowed eyebrows.

"Hey," Logos called out to it, "Why are you scaring the Boss so early in the morning?"

Acting casual with it only hid his fear of it. He was a man. Being afraid of a doll was downright shameful! But he hid the quiver in his voice well as a low growl erupted from but otherwise it stayed silent.

"Quiet now are we?"

It remained silent.

He gently pushed on Leblanc's shoulders and she slipped from his lap and sat, with her legs pulled up to her body, on the bench as he stooped to the floor.

"Hey," He yanked it up by it's long hair, "Say something, you always have something to say."

Again, it didn't answer.

Dropping it, he wiped his forehead and dragged his hand down over his face slowly. Was he really going crazy?

"Let's go get tea or something," Leblanc slowly lowered her legs, "I need something to calm my nerves.

"Sounds good."


	6. Chapter 5: Here: the Calm Before a Storm

Fear. It boiled loudly in her ears.

The water hissed shrilly, like **it**, when the time to pour the liquid into the cups came. The sound of the fluids splashing against the bottom of the cup made her think of how **it** was everywhere, even in the bathroom when she took her bath. The sound of the tea bag lightly dropping into the cup made her think of how **it** dropped into the water and floated with black ghost-like tendrils of hair spread over the water and toward her.

Before she screamed and a knock at the door from Logos was the only thing that made it go away with a spitting hiss.

She was going insane! This doll, this thing, it would never go away!

"Boss!" Logos stretched over the table and gripped her shoulders, shaking them slightly, "Are you alright?"

"Logos…" She weakly nodded and mumbled, her eyes downcast.

His eyebrows arched upward, "Boss…this thing…it's nothing to be so upset over. We'll go to Luca and solve this, alright?"

"Alright," She nodded again but there was no hope in her chest.

"Boss," He pushed the cup of tea toward her, "Drink this, it's fine, it's not here right now…"

_Guess again._

Leblanc felt her head grow light. She wasn't one to faint but all the things together was putting her on the last bit of strength she had. What was 'normal' for her was becoming something that 'was' long ago. She had no energy left, no sanity left, and it had only been a short time of… this!

It was there, on the counter, by an empty cup that was meant for the gunslinger and the still simmering pot of hot water. _  
><em>

_Can I have some too? A snack maybe?_

"Go away," Logos grabbed it violently by the hair, anger flaring, "Why can't you stay away for a least a moment and let us breathe! Can't you find something to do better than to?-FUCK!"

Its teeth gnashed into his hand and there was a crunch, a spurt of blood between its fangs, and a howl from Logos as it buried its teeth into his skin.

"Logos!" Leblanc reached for it and grabbed the tattered dress in her fist. She yanked back and his hand was pulled with it, the doll refusing to let him go from its mouth.

It shrilly cackled and it shook its head, its whole body juddering with it's laugh, and the fangs tearing and ripping more of its victim's hand.

Logos reached forward with his other hand and he grabbed the forehead of the doll, pushing against it with gritted teeth. Leblanc doubled her efforts by putting two hands on the dress and in one tug, and a ripping sound of skin, it was off with the gunner's hand in shreds.

"Fuck!" He cursed, punching the counter with his other hand in pain. The top of his other hand laid in a slab of skin against blood, blue fragments of his gloves clinging to it.

"Oh god," She looked down at the smiling face in her hands, blood dripping from it's narrow and straight teeth.

_Are you waiting for? Your turn?_

Leblanc dropped it and jumped as far away from it as she could. The doll fell to the ground and clattered against the stone floor. Again, the horrible rolling sound and it was out the door and away from them.

"Logos," Leblanc looked up from where he bent over his hand, "Are you okay? I mean shit! I know you're not but-"

"I'm fine," His level voice, like always since the 'problem' developed, calmed her nerves.

"I'll get a cloth," She went to the sink, the long way around the island in the middle and avoiding the door, and grabbed a clean one from the rack. She wet it a little than turned around to where he stood cradling his hand.

"It's going to sting," She pressed the wound against his hand. Like she said, it hurt him and he winced and hissed, fighting the instinct to pull away.

The blood kept flowing and she grabbed a dry towel to blot away gently at the top of it, the individual marks from the wretched thing showing up slowly. Her brows furrowed,** How dare it hurt one of my men!**

"Boss," Logos gripped her wrist and forced her to look up, "As soon as this get's wrapped up, let's go to Luca."

She nodded, "We'll waste no time." 

**Things are going to be fine** she told herself **They will be because he and I will make them so…**

**L.O.L.**

"Damnit!" He felt his knuckles split against the tree, **why the hell are you doing this to her?**

_Does it bother you?_

"If you harm her anymore, then I swear I will-!"

_You will what __**Logos!**__ What are you going to do? You have no power what so ever over me, over anything! Look at how weak you are!_

"Shut up!" He gripped his ears, putting his head against the bark, "Leave me alone!"

_Would you rather I bother Leblanc then? _

"Just stop it…"

"Logos?" He felt her soft touch against his shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He pulled back his palms and realized that they were bloody. He closed his hands and turned to look over his shoulder at her, her head now wrapped. He narrowed his eyes at the thought that he failed to prevent that.

"Oh my god, Logos!" Her eyes widened and she gripped his wrist from behind him and pulled it closer to her, spinning him around to face her, "What did you do?"

She looked up at his face and put her hand against it, "You scratched you face too! Have you gone crazy!"

"I'm getting damn near that point!" He twisted away and pulled at his hood to cover the slashes and gashes on the side of his face and ears. "Boss, the woman could not help us, and it's obvious this thing is becoming more aggressive! What are going to do?"

"I don't know but hurting yourself isn't going to help!" She pulled down his hands and looked at the bloody knuckles under the ragged tears from the rough tree bark that he punched angrily seconds ago, "Calm down, I know you can handle this better!"

"No, I can't. This is making me loose all my nerves!" Logos shook his head but was caught by her palm gently.

"Take a breath and calm down!" Leblanc seemed worried about him, seeing him act like this made her feel insecure. He, up until this point, was always calm. His heavy level voice always assured her that there would be a solution. To see him freak out like this, barely able to control himself, scared the hell out of her.

She raised her voice, despite what she was telling him, "Don't yell because it makes me freak out twice as much!"

"This thing tried to kill you and it nearly did if-if-" He took in sharp inhales of breath and clenched his fists.

"Stop hyperventilating, breathe Logos, be calm…" Leblanc's eyebrows furrowed upward, a rut appearing under her bandaged head, "You have to-"

Logos became quieter but more shaky, "What if you died? I couldn't-"

"Calm down for me if not yourself," Leblanc let her hand drag down his face and stopped at his chin, "It scaring me more when you can't handle something for me…"

He sighed raggedly and nodded against her hand, "Alright."

"So what if Whore-woman couldn't help us? We'll figure it out," Leblanc sniffed in the air of the Moonflow, her hair still dripping wet under the dry bandage. "I didn't die, I wasn't even close."

Part of cause of the turmoil he was in was from the fact that, on the tall launch pad they stood on the Luca side of the Flow, Leblanc felt a push, from a small horribly familiar object, and fell down into the water.

Of course, no one but Logos saw what it was that hit her and the thing disappeared as he concerned himself with her. Unfortunately, she got a good hit off of the edge of the launch pad before falling down completely and that only added to his dismay. Of course if he didn't fish her out, she may have well died by sucking in to much water from her confused state of pain that she was in from her bleeding head.

She wouldn't be the first Spiraian to drown. It was rare since everyone was taught a very young age to hold their breath for infinite amounts of time, but if someone becomes unable to hold their breath, say they become unconscious, then they'd breath in and drown.

"I'm fine," Leblanc assured him as he looked at her again with worry clouding his eyes. The potions on his hand closed it up, but now he ripped it open again in his fit, and this turned the worry back to Leblanc, "But I'm worried you're not."

"I'll be fine," He breathed and leaned deeper into her hand, "Just don't scare me again…"

She pulled it away, "Scare you? You're the one scaring me with all your self-damaging!"

"A thing of the past now, " Logos flexed his fingers, flinching at the sharp 'bites' of pain, "So, what are we going to do now?"

_Nothing you can do! _

"Shut up!" Leblanc smacked her temples and realized what made Logos go into his fit of scratching earlier, "You hurt him again and I'm hurting you."

_This is starting to get boring….I have to change that soon if you won't._

"What?" Leblanc stiffened and felt Logos put an arm around her, whispering in her ear.

"Ignore it, we can't deal with it right now."

**L.O.L.**

_Sleepy?_

Not even outside, not even…

"Boss," He flinched as she scrubbed at his face a little to hard, "That is a bit painfu-"

"Oh!" She gently patted the scrapes she reopened, "I'm sorry."

She felt her eyes grow heavy. She willed herself to stay awake, telling herself there was just a little bit of work to be done before rest. In the morning they'd catch the first ride over the Moonflow, of course avoiding the edge of the pad this time, and they'd be home, but first her gunner's face.

"I can do it myself," His hand gripped her wrist and he winced at that.

"Not with those fingers," She softly swiped over the lines of red, "Hold still, you move around to much."

"Boss," He swallowed, her body closer and the heat rising in his stomach like lava, "I-you-I…do you have to be so close?"

"Oh sorry, love," She lowered herself back down to the ground and squinted against the darkness for his face, "I can barely see in this light."

"Of course, it's just…hrm," He closed his mouth and leaned forward, "Can you see now?"

"Just as much as before," She sighed and patted his cheek bones. It's amazing what her gunner did with his fingers alone to his face. He did have strong hands after all but the fact that he, unnoticeably, did this to himself was insane! But everything was starting to seem that way…

As soon as the nail marks on his face were clean she looked down and patted her legs, "Now your hands."

Obediently he stuck them out for her to look at under the moon light. She felt his warmth through her gloves and the wetness as well.

They were torn. The skin, the blood, it all made her eyes sting. He made a living, quite literally, with the skills of his hands. If he ever lost that because of this…

"Boss?" She felt the lightness of his voice raise up her head.

He was the worried one again.

She wiped at her tears, "Are you sure you hands are alright?"

"Mere cuts, I still have the use of them," He wiggled his wrists to show that he indeed, still had hands to speak of.

"Alright," Her hands squeezed his fingers a bit, tears still in her eyes. This whole thing was breaking her, she needed to find a release from it. She bowed her head and put her forehead against his hands.

He froze, even through his fingers.

Leblanc smiled and muttered, "Just stay with me until this is over."

Right now that's all she wanted…someone to stay beside her and not think she's crazy. To assure her she wasn't. To protect her if need be. To be angry and upset if harm did come to her. And if she ever met her end from this...to know what really happened to her...

"I will, Boss, I've always have been even before this," He gripped back, "Remember?"

"Oh, yes," She nodded and closed her eyes, "I know…"

His hands seemed warmer, "I'll protect you this time, Boss. Nothing will happen to you like with the launch pad again, I assure you that."

"Oh," She felt herself blush, a bit of shame of being hopelessly dependent and happiness filling her cheeks. She lifted her head and smiled a bit, "I-uhm, yes, thank you, Logos. I need it."

"Your welcome," He turned his hands and curled his fingers around hers, "Don't worry about all the other things. Just do as you do, and I'll be there."

"Hmm," She whispered "Logos-"

"Huh Boss?" He felt every bit of heat pool in his stomach and his face, as she whispered his name,"W-what is it?"

"I don't notice all the little things you do until it's too late don't I?"

"It's never to late for things," He blushed as she smiled with the flow behind her head, "Erm, the same for our problem too!"

"I'm running out of options and nerves for this, Logos," She sighed, "I'm too tired…"

"Then sleep," He put a hand, almost hesitating, on her shoulder, "I'll be here."

She, after seemingly thinking about it, nodded. As soon as she did so he pulled forward, her body falling into his chest as he fell onto his back. His cheekbones tinged a pink hue as she look up wearily, then shrugging against him, she laid her head into his stomach heavily.

"Stay here," She mumbled and then closed her eyes and the sleep that hadn't come in such a long time, took over her mind.

"Good," Logos sighed, in relief that she didn't utterly kill him for that stunt, and closed his eyes also, a feeling of security filling him up from the weight on his stomach, "Sleep then…."

He himself was tired, and though in other cases he might of gotten ideas, this situation just called sleep to him. And her comforting warmth lulled him to a new sleep that left him smiling.

But just before fell he heard a hiss in his ears…

_Don't get to cozy, I'm still here too._


	7. Chapter 6: Drowning

"Whut took youse guys so long and geez!" Ormi grew wide eyes and flinched at their conditions of bloodied heads and hands.

Ormi lumbered closer and stuck out his hands to the both of them, "Why are youse all bloody, guys?"

"Fiends," Leblanc nodded and dragged Logos's sleeve behind her, "We got to get some potions all right?"

"I'll get it," He looked a little oddly at the hand that connected to the sleeve, but nodded in urgency, "I'll's be right back."

She sighed and looked around, leaning back against the arm that was behind her. She knew it was going to show it's ugly face, it was going to come and-

She was so paranoid now…

"Boss," A whisper above her head, "Don't worry about it so much. I'm here."

"I remember," She nodded and turned to look up at the taller form, "Just keep me sane enough to get this resolved."

"Help me too," He smiled slightly and pulled his arm from her grip as Ormi came back in a frenzy with potions and other concoctions of healing.

Logos took up a blue bottle and passed it to Leblanc before grabbing some for himself. She opened hers, slowly, and sipped from it. Energy, life, returned to her and she sighed as her head no longer ached. Seeing the same reaction from Logos, flexing his fingers stiffly, made her smile again.

Smiling was just something to do before it came…

Oh, this was becoming a big problem. The world, even the good things, were just becoming things that didn't matter anymore. The doll was toying with her, and it was a toy!

She was crazy. This was crazy. She couldn't take much more of this.

"Whoa Boss!" Ormi's round bubbly face was in hers, "Youse looks pale!"

"It's been a long while since she had time to relax," Logos patted the warrior's shoulder before looking at Leblanc, "Why don't you rest some more? Maybe take a bath and have one of the Fem-goons give you a-"

"No," Leblanc, despite the discussion with Logos on the way there to try and remain 'normal' with everyone, frowned, "I don't want any of that!"

"That's fine," Logos knowingly nodded, "But maybe you should…try?"

Ormi, naïve to the situation, nodded in agreeance, "Yeah, youse look like you need it."

"Fine," Her frown deepened, and unexpectedly she felt annoyance towards Logos, "I will."

She left, almost heatedly, and traveled up the stairs with loud steps. She then heard her two men go into the living room.

She stopped outside her room.

**How could he send me here? I can't do this, I can't go in there. Not alone…**

"Boss?" the goon outside the door looked at her, "You…you ain't sick are you?"

Now she was worrying everyone!

"I'm fine, love, go take a break I don't want anyone near me right now."

**L.O.L.**

"Boss?" Logos's voice came first, when no answer he knocked, then his voice again, "I know you're in there."

"What do you want?" She lifted her head from her bed, afraid to step over the edge, "Don't come in here. You know what always happens."

"I don't care," His voice was hard, "Let it, I want to see for myself if you're alright."

"No, I said don't come in!" Leblanc flipped over and brought the bed spread with her as she wrapped herself up in it, a safe cocoon from her own insanity, "I said no!"

The door clicked open. Why won't he listen?

"Go away!" She sat up and threw a pillow at him, "Now!"

"Ow!" He flinched and grabbed the 'projectile' from the floor, "Boss, look, the only thing attacking me is you."

"Go away!" She felt her face tighten, felt tears and wetness everywhere, felt her face hurt. She curled more into the blankets, "Damnit! Do as I say!"

"Boss," He took steps closer, the dull thuds of his feet hitting the carpet hurting her ears, "You're not okay…"

"I'm not crazy!" She sniffed in loudly and shook her head. **What am I saying? I am! I am...**

"Boss, stop it," He voice was firm.

**He thinks it too…**

"Get out!"

"No," He was beside her bed now, his hand on the edge, "Boss listen to me-"

"No! _**You **_listen to me!" She shot up and punched at his shoulder, "You get out now!"

"I'm not going to," He leaned forward, closer to her, "Calm down, I know you're scared but I'm here now so-"

"You weren't here earlier!" She lifted both her hands and pounded into his chest, "You made me go to my room like some damn little kid with a monster under her bed! Well, I do have one and you know it and you still sent me here anyways!"

His face twisted up oddly, "B-boss?"

"Get the hell out of here now!" Her fist pounded into his chest harder, faster, and she closed her eyes.

"Boss, please this isn't something to-" Logos reached out, ignoring and almost completely immune to the attack, "Please, breathe, you're not breathing right."

"You're not leaving!" She wailed and pulled back her arm and far as she could.

He caught her fist as it made its way to his face, "Leblanc stop it!"

She blinked, her muscles loosening, "W-what?"

"B-boss," He started awkwardly, his other hand going to the back of his neck and the other tightly gripping her fist, and his voice surprisingly calm, and in itself calming, "Please, stop trying to hurt me…"

Her lips trembled, "Oh god, I'm sorry…"

"Nothing to be troubled over," He patted her shoulder and she found herself leaning into it, "Just catch your breath…"

She took a big gulp of air, then slowly let it out. A tingling anxiety still plagued her gut and her chest fluttered, but she had more control over her senses.

"Now," Logos leaned down a little to look her levelly in the face, "Let me see if you're all right."

**This is getting out of hand. He can't be taking care of me like I can't do it myself! I'm glad he's here. But he can't be bothered with me when he's just as much a victim!**

"Boss," His voice brought her from her thoughts, "I don't think you're crazy."

"I never said-"

"Boss," He cut her off, "Don't think that for a moment alright?"

"I won't," She grabbed the pillow from where he laid it on the bed and brought to her chest. **This is insane! My underling is looking after me like a little sister and I'm letting him! Oh well, **she sighed,** it's a good insane…**

"Now," Logos let out some breath he was holding, "Do you want to take a bath or have one of the fem-goons-"

"No others," She shook her head and buried her chin in the pillow, "I don't want them to think I'm crazy."

He looked at her levelly, "You're not."

Leblanc looked over the top of the pillow, "I want a bath."

"I'll do that," He looked tired again, "Just stay calm please."

"I will," She nodded and laid back on the rumples of the covers that she rustled up in her 'fit'. **Let this be over soon. It doesn't look like either of us is going to last long.**

"Boss?" He stuck his head from the curtain, "It's already now…"

**L.O.L.**

drip, drip, drip, drip.

The gold colored faucet let water slowly out still in small droplets that plopped into the bath heavily. Leblanc curled closer to her nude body and let out a shaky breath slowly from her nose. The rose scented bath calmed her nerves a bit but she still had a dreaded feeling that something was going to come in and-

"No," She whispered, "This is time to relax."

She leaned back, her spine shivering, **It's going to be alright.**

Logos, outside the curtain that covered the entry to Leblanc's bathroom, let his shoulders fall slightly. She was talking to herself.

"_**No," She whispered, "This is time to relax."**_

"That's right," He mouthed, and sighed.

This was defiantly becoming more and more out of hand. He kept telling himself that and at the same time cursed that he had yet to do anything to really fix this problem.

Except…

He looked at the drawers under the mirror. Logos walked up to it and shuffled through the top, frowning, and closing it again. Letters to Nooj.

It was a teenage-like gesture, to write love letters. But he couldn't frown at Leblanc, of course not, after all, he wrote a few himself that he just ended up burning against the end of his cigarette.

He opened the second set of drawers and smiled in triumph, it was there.

"Logos?" Leblanc called from the bathroom.

"I'll be there in a moment," He put his hands underneath the lock-box, it was stuck under the halfway opened drawer and the stand itself. He put his hand back on the handle and pulled, but for some reason it refused to be moved. He yanked harder, unable to recall if it was that hard to pull out before and the stand wiggled but wouldn't yield the drawer open.

"Logos." She was a bit more slower in drawing out his name.

"A moment," Logos grabbed the edges of the drawer itself and yanked, but it stuck fast and didn't even wiggle a bit.

"LOGOS!"

"Boss?" He turned and as soon as he did, with the force of the panic that surged through his veins and her voice, the drawer broke open with the box and other contents clattering to the ground.

**L.O.L.**

**She leaned back, her spine shivering, **_**It's going to be alright.**_

The light sounds of the water lapping against the sides calmed her a bit more, the tension from her muscles that almost never left anymore relaxed and fled.

Leblanc sighed and leaned back more, the water under her ears.

_Thud_

The last sound she wanted to hear!

Leblanc sat up and looked around. Nothing in the corners, the floor, the edges of the tub, or even inside it.

"Logos?"

"I'll be there in a moment." He answered.

She breathed out a little and settled back uneasily, **it was probably him…**

_Oh really? _

She looked up, the sound above her, and _it _was there, dried blood, still there from when it bit Logos, in-between its teeth.

_What's up, duck?_

"Logos." She drawled out his name and curled her naked legs to her body, eyes shaking and focused on the fluttering dress against the ceiling.

"A moment."

_Hah! _

It fell.

Plop! It hit the water and the black hair snaked over the top and rubbed against her body. Leblanc flinched and blinked, the doll disappearing from her vision as she did so. Her eyes searched the bottom for any sign and found none.

"LOGOS!" She screamed as soon as she felt icy hands on her shoulders, not his that were warm, and then she felt her head submerge. In her panic she took a gulp of water and choked.

**Calm down or you're going to drown!** She was hyperventilating underwater. She felt her throat tighten in a way she had never felt. If this was drowning than it was a terrible way to die!

She shot up again and gagged out the water in her mouth. Blinking her eyes to see the figure above her before she was pushed down again.

Now it was all she could take. This was killing her! **Calm down! Calm down! Calm down! Don't breath in! CALM DOWN! **

She couldn't do it, she kept gasping in 'air' that just wasn't there. She closed her eyes, this was death.

**NO! **She moved her arms from the side of the tub to her nose and mouth, clasping over them. She pinched her nose and forced her mouth close.

The ghost black tendrils floated in the air and around like water as the form, the pale sharp toothed form, leaned closer and loosened her grip.

Leblanc's fist shot out of the water and knocked into the thing's chin.

It hissed loudly then spread its mouth into an amused and impressed smile, shaking and cackling.

**L.O.L.**

He shuffled up and tripped over the articles from the drawer scattered on the ground. Logos, almost breathless, pulled back the curtain and was met with Leblanc and-

She gasped, her face almost blue, and she looked around, the floor covered in water from her splashing and Leblanc gripped the sides white knuckled.

"Boss?" He stared wide-eyed and then blushed.

She dove down into the water, "Get out!"


	8. Chapter 7: The Very End

She laid shaking in the tub after he slipped back out of sight. Clutching her arms, shivering, she swiveled her head as slowly as she dared to see if the 'it' was there. It wasn't…

"Logos," Leblanc called to him again, in a much less frantic tone, and reached for a towel to wrap herself in, "C-could you leave the curtain open a crack? But not to much and don't peek! Just-"

"Mmn," He pulled it, his back turned, just a hand's width, "Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes," She gave a quick nod, though he couldn't see it, and stepped up, instantly covering herself against the cold. She stepped over the edge and shivered as her feet touched the ground, fog snaking white curving lines against the tiles, and quickly reached for her robe to cover herself completely and get out of 'there' entirely.

As soon as she was tied up in her cozy robe, which surprisingly was warm compared to everything else in the bathroom, Leblanc ran full force out of the bathroom as fear nipped at her back chillingly. Just as was her luck though, she ran into Logos's back and knocked the wind out of him as her burst made him fall to the ground.

"Why were you standing right there?" She looked over his body and tapped her foot, "It would've been fine if you weren't right there!"

*Goff! Koff! Koff!* Logos clenched his chest and with a lop sided face breathlessly looked up at her face, "M-my *koff* a-apologies, I w-wazzz un-dar th-the impre-shun thad you w-wouldn't run out of tha-re a-at full s'peed l-like you did, Boss."

After a few more gasps and hurt exhales, Leblanc blinked and leaned further down, "You okay now, you big baby?"

"Pleasant," He gave his chest one last pat and took a sharp bite of the air, "Just fine now."

"Than get off the floor," Leblanc smiled a bit and stuck up her chin, "You look like an idiot, love."

"Oh?" He smiled back, though a bit more of a lecherous look dancing over his smile, "I rather like the view from down here."

Leblanc instinctively crossed her legs and brought her hands down to her knees, "Ah!"

"I'm joking entirely of course!" He stuck out his palms and sat up, " If I had seen something I wouldn't of told you about it!"

"Loooooggggoooossss," She rapped her knuckles against each other and felt her nerves twitch.

"Wha-? Boss! I was kidding! Don't hit me!" He backed up with scuffling knees and crashed into the couch that sat against the wall of her room, "Boss, I really didn't mean to- it was a joke! See? No harm!"

She popped her knuckles and pulled back her arm, "Stop sniveling and take your punishment!"

"Oi! Ouch!"

**L.O.L.**

"Are you sure?" Logos gripped her hands in his, "That's what you saw?"

"I can't say," Leblanc blinked then shivered in the fuzzy cream-colored robe that covered her body, the color returning to her lips now from the blue that they were earlier. The 'thing', the doll, 'it', whatever she saw, if she really saw it at all, she told him as he sat back to recover from his 'punishment'.

Logos rubbed his upper legs, places where she had missed-hit and landed several inches from her original target, and bit his lip, "That is quite a lot to…."

"It tried to kill me, Logos…but it's a little girl," Leblanc sighed, somehow feeling a relief in this fact. No, maybe it wasn't a girl at all. But as far as she knew it was and she was clinging to that. A little girl she could handle but a demon or something worse, whatever it may be, was something she would go completely insane over.

"A little girl…" The gunner leaned back in the couch and closed his eyes, "All this trouble is from something like that?"

"I'm not sure it's really a little girl taking a doll shape or the other way around," Leblanc shrugged, surprisingly becoming cynical with it after it tried to kill her, "But it isn't a Black Mage's mere toy."

"That is somewhat disheartening," Logos rubbed his sore legs again, looking rather darkly downward, and frowned more, "It doesn't help at all that we can't rationalize this."

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Leblanc leaned to the side and stared at him from the corner of her golden brown eyes, "Do you, Logos?"

He thought deeply, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He usually would say no, but once, long ago, and now, he's had things happen that couldn't be explained, couldn't be controlled.

"Vegnagun was virtually controlled by a ghost, yes?" Logos nodded, "More or less they do exist but I thought things like this didn't happen in-"

"Real life doesn't matter right now," Leblanc sighed and plopped her chin in her hand, "And I still don't know what to do about it…"

"Are you alright? Really?" Logos looked down at her and narrowed his eyes at her shivering arms, asking yet again the same question, "Boss?"

She gave him the same answer, "I'm fine."

Black tendrils of hair, the white eyes, the broken face with red lips that was pulled up into a sharp toothed grin, the juddering movements when it laughed, the long clawed hands, and the _person_ that stood over her in the bath. They were the same, but that didn't make sense. If the doll could do that…why didn't it do it earlier?

"Why didn't it do it earlier?" Leblanc mumbled aloud and looked over at Logos, "Do you know?"

"Turn into a little girl instead of a doll?" He sighed, "I've no clue."

_I'm bored is why._

The voice, but nothing with it, rung in their ears.

Leblanc smirked, too tired to care anymore, "Oh, why aren't you showing yourself now?"

_He'll get me, won't he? He's already planning too._

"Can't say he didn't warn you," Leblanc leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms, "You had it coming this entire time."

_Oh I did huh? I don't like your attitude._

"I never liked yours," Leblanc scowled into her palms, "I'm getting sick and tired of this."

_You too? Then why don't we end this?_

"Sounds good," Leblanc growled, "But it doesn't involve drowning me again does it?"

_Well, you can't get rid of me any other way!_

"Is that so?"

"Boss," Logos tapped her shoulder, "Why in all of Spira are you provoking it?"

_Yes, yes, why? Aren't you scared?_

"No, I'm not," Leblanc stood up and pulled Logos up with her , "You can't do a thing to me if I don't let you. Come out if you think you can change my mind!"

"Boss…" Logos leaned down but was cut off by her hand knocking against his chin.

"Do you hear that?" Leblanc prickled against the air and shivered again. It felt like claws in her back, but she knew that was just her imagination. If she was sure of nothing else anymore.

Rolling…

"Where are you," She narrowed her eyes and searched the floor, under her bed the blankets moved and it showed it's ugly face, pulled down in an ugly frown.

_I hate you! _

"Right back at you!" Leblanc smirked heatedly and took a step forward toward it, "What are you going to do? Bite me? I'll break you in return if you do!"

_I'll break you all to pieces! DIE DIE __**DIE! **_

Leblanc shivered but kept going forward, "Stop it brat!"

_I'm not a brat! You are!_

"This has gone on way too long for my liking," Leblanc swiped it up from the floor by it's hair, avoiding carefully the snapping jaws, "What are you!"

_**I'm a doll! **_**CRUNCH! **

"Boss!" Logos reached out and grasped her wrist, pulling back, "Let go of it!"

_Let go of me! _

Leblanc wore a triumphant smile, "No."

"Boss-"

"Logos, shut up for a moment," Leblanc, smiling and not holding a harsh tone when she said it, pulled up her bleeding wrist and the doll that was clamped to it, its hair in her own fingers, "Now thing, what are you exactly?"

_FUCK YOU BITCH!_

"Now I'm sure you're not a little girl," Leblanc gave it a shake than thrusted her hand forward and crashed the doll's cracked head into her bed post, "Now tell me what you are!"

_DIE! _

"You talk and talk and bite but you can't do anything to me!" Leblanc pulled back her arm and smashed it's head against the post again, the crack on the doll's face bursting into glass pieces and falling to the floor, "Tell me what you are!"

**I CURSE YOU!**

Leblanc leaned back her head, "Ha! Wha-t. do. You. Think-"

Suddenly, the world was spinning. A music box in her ears and a old man with a grimy outfit tapped his foot against the box, its crank turning slowly, ever slowly… Blackness, long black hair, blind eyes, and a smile.

"BOSS!"

**L.O.L.**

"_**Who are you?" Leblanc blinked, rubbing her arms, and looked on to the stool with the old man plucking strings on a rotten guitar with knotted strings.**_

"_**I know you," Leblanc huffed and watched the white cloud of her breath float off in the darkness, "You play on the corner in Performer's Town. You have this green old box that cranks by itself and you're blind and you-"**_

" '_**nuff talkin'. You hurt'ses my head," He ran claws through his hair, "What you want?"**_

"_**What do I want? This is your fault isn't it!" Leblanc felt herself begin to rage, "Damn you old man! Do you think this is funny? A joke? Well, 'ha ha' very funny now stop it you sick son of a-"**_

"_**No talkin'," The man growled, showing crooked gray teeth, and went back to quietly plucking strings. "Listen, you listen n'stead."**_

"_**Why?" Leblanc stomped her foot and felt it bleed against the floor, "Ow!"**_

"_**You stepped's on the shards," the man cackled, gumless now with bluish color to his mouth, "Careful's now or you might hurt's the other one with your crashing aboot."**_

"_**What other one?" Leblanc frowned and then gasped as a blue bird, a shade she knew well, flew past her head and onto the man's dusty guitar box.**_

"_**Twitters," The man frowned, opening his mouth wide and showing the sharp teeth in it, "Twitters! Twitters! Twitters! All they do, all anyone does. Talking's and going on's and don't even notice the words that ain't there!"**_

"_**How the hell do you hear words that aren't there?" Leblanc watched the bird carefully, it's squinted eyes watching her just as closely. She blinked and it did as well. **_

"_**Listen you're not listening! You keep's talkin'! Stop that!" The man spat at the bird and it hopped to the side, turning it's head slightly and opening its mouth, a chirp coming out in a low ring. **_

"_**Why-?"**_

"_**Stop talkin' girl," The old man leaned forward, his hunch on his back seeming twice as bad, "It's making my head pound. Questions in a minoot"**_

_**The bird chirped again then flew up and to Leblanc's face. She smiled as it's dark dusky eyes met her's and it picked her golden locks before rising up in the sky and flying around twice. **_

"_**Foolish thing," The man muttered then spat again at the bird, "Stupid fool! I'm gonna git it one day."**_

"_**No you're not," Leblanc smirked as the bird, almost agreeing with her, flew down to her shoulder, "You're not going to touch it!"**_

"_**Oh? What'll stop me? You?" The man, with red gums, cackled, "You?"**_

"_**It'll fly away before you do a thing," Leblanc put her finger up and scratched under its beak and it leaned into her touch, "I'm sure."**_

"_**Oh you are?" He snapped his fingers, "What if I break's it? No flying's away then! Break's it's wings!"**_

"_**Cruel!" Leblanc yelped and the bird flew up again as she shuddered, "Why would you do that?"**_

"_**I hate it!" The man swatted as the bird angrily came up and picked at his black tendrils of greasy hair, "Like's you and I hate's you!"**_

"_**Ugh! Whatever did I do to you?" Leblanc stamped her foot against the black nothingness under her again, no sharp pain meeting in her foot this time, "I haven't even talked to you once in my life!"**_

"_**Hate's him first, hate's you second, hate you both at the same time," The bird flew away and the old man spat at him and a glob of spit hit the bird in its back, "It won't listen to me like's it supposed too!"**_

"_**I wouldn't either if you kept spitting at me!" Leblanc, though almost retching at it, wiped the bird's back with a quick swipe of her hand, "And it's a bird!"**_

"_**A loyal stupid bird!" The man spat gummy mouthed, and stamped his foot against the stool, "Evil it calls me! Says I don't know's what's best! Well, it's wrong! It messed with my doll!"**_

"_**How so?" Leblanc held back a laugh. **__What is with this man? He obviously isn't well…_

"_**Hear it? It's doing it now!" The man pointed and then shook his finger, "Evil it says! Makes my doll not listen to me! Help's you it did by stuffing your head 'neath some water."**_

"_**The bird did?" Leblanc looked at it and the bird, surprisingly, took up it's wing, spread the other over it's body, and bowed low.**_

"_**It mess with my magic and messed with it's own," The man snapped his fingers many times, aggravated, "Look how pleased it is now!"**_

_And here I was worried I was crazy…_

"_**So you are a Black Mage…" Leblanc patted the blue bird's head, the bird suddenly becoming black with her touch then back to blue as she lifted her hand. **_

"_**A Black Mage? No! FOOL! I am a being of much more power than that!" The man started to quake, his hands going back to his guitar, "Whack the bird it don't know a thing about me. It just want's to get in my business, in your's."**_

"_**Well what do you want in my business?" Leblanc put her hands on her hips and stood taller, the motion shaking the bird off again. The bird flew up then back down, it's shadowy eyes meeting her golden brown ones as it passed low and in front of her. **_

"_**Stupid, stupid, stupid!" The man opened his mouth even wider, his jaw cracking as it dislocated and opened it twice as large as his face, "Don't know a thing!" **_

"_**Gah!" Leblanc lurched forward but the blue feathers were floating downward before her hands reached the bird, and a heavy plop was its headless body hitting the floor frigidly.**_

_**Leblanc reached forward toward it but it twitched and convulsed so badly that she pulled her hand away, startled. It jerked so badly, its poor head up above her own crying out before it stopped with a snap as the man pinched its face between his fingers and flicked it away.**_

"_**Why! Why'd you hurt it like that?" She felt tears, shivers in her arms, chills in her spine and a rage in her heart all at once, "It didn't do anything-!"**_

"_**Your fault," The man turned up a clawed finger and picked his sharp teeth, "It was to busy watching you and not's itself." **_

"_**What the hell is wrong with you?"**_

"_**Me? What's wrong with you? You did's it," The man went back to plucking, "More birds come though. It always happen's to me. All different colors, keep's getting in my way… Oh, the happenings of me and the other birds are easier than with the blue's ones."**_

"_**I don't care what happens to you! I don't care about the other fucking birds! Why did you kill that one!" Leblanc held out her palm and the body disappeared and another bird, a colorless one, flying away without caring to bother with her in its place. **_

"_**See? See?" **_

"_**See what old man?" Leblanc stood up, on shaking knees, and put her hands on the man's hunch, "Don't mess with me anymore! Why did you kill it? Why are you bothering me and Logos with that damn doll! What did we ever do to you!"**_

"_**Nothing, nothing's, Your's fault. Bird's fault. His fault, but not mine." The man flinched at her touch and then shrunk down, "I know's nothing with my doll anymore. He made it your's doll. It's both's doll. It's all yours. It made itself itself with the birdie's box. Your problem. You fix it and you leave me alone now. You're too much trouble to help anymore, I tried."**_

"_**Help? Are you crazy! You were helping me and Logos? Don't make me laugh!" Leblanc grabbed his clothes and shook, "Now you tell me what the doll is!"**_

"_**A doll, that's all," The man frowned, gray narrow and flat teeth filling his mouth, "That's all. But Bird, Him, he made it to a girl when he was gonna put it in a box."**_

"_**What does a box have to do with anything?" Leblanc felt her face grow hotter as her impatience peaked, "Tell me!"**_

"_**It was the bird's box, I made it bad box but He took it anyways." The man shrugged, "Stupid fool, already lost his head."**_

"_**Are you talking about Logos or the Bird? You better've not hurt him-!"**_

"_**His fault, not mine…" **_

"Wake up! Oh god, wake up!"

Her gunner's voice broke the images, his hands picking her up from the floor that she laid on numbly, the warmth of his arms tingling her own arms from the frozen coldness she felt everywhere. Her head was foggy, like she just couldn't get enough sleep right now.

"Logos, stop yelling, you're giving me a headache…" She blinked, "Ooooohhh, what happened?"

"Holy water," He sighed and held up the white glowing bottle, the little bit at the bottom swishing, "You gave me quite a scare with all that jerking you did. You looked like you were having a seizure."

"And you're laughing about it?" Leblanc rubbed her head and tried to sit up, only to fall back again into the crooked elbow behind her shoulder blades, the feeling of feathers in her hands, "Where is it?"

Logos's long finger curled then pointed up to the bed post. In blue shreds, it thrashed around but was tied to the post.

"Very good," Leblanc smiled impressed and leaned back more as her senses felt like it was covered in cotton, "I'm proud of you second in command."

"Quite a fight with it," Logos sighed, "I'm getting my ass kicked by a doll. Damn, don't tell Ormi that…"

"That was only after I pulled out the holy water for you," He shifted and looked up at the growling doll that's eyes were shuddering so much that it was about to roll out of their glass sockets. "Evil little thing, I've got new bites now."

Logos held out his arm, the blue sleeves ripped up to elbows and the wrap that was around his forearms torn through and through with blood dribbling from it.

"Oh you poor dear," Leblanc mocked and then laughed, looking up at the doll that continued to shake against its bonds, "And you too. You're stuck aren't you? Why can't you get out? Yevon knows you do a lot more amazing things."

"I poured some of this on it," Logos held up the bottle of holy water, then twisted his face, "What? It was hissing at me and I figured it fit. Funny that it actually had an effect."

_Not for long!_

"Can it," Leblanc poked at the shards of porcelain on the ground, "I'm damn crazy from this already."

_Be crazy, it's fun!_

"So what exactly happened?" Leblanc rubbed her eyes and yawned, "After I…fell…"

"It cursed you, you fell, got up, stepped in that," He pointed to the shards on the ground, "Started punching anything with in reach-" At this Logos rubbed his face, "Then you broke it's teeth before falling to the floor and started to have a form of seizure."

"I broke its teeth?" Leblanc looked down at her knuckles and found broken bits of glass that looked like the sharp little narrow teeth of the doll. Then she looked at the bottom of her feet and saw the globs of blood oozing out from her heels. Despite her surprise though, all she could say was, "Oh."

"Oh?" Logos made a sneezing sound, him repressing his laugh, "Boss did you happen to hit your head on the way down?"

"I don't know! You tell me," Leblanc rubbed her head and shuddered at the thought of a headless blue bird with a pinched off face, "Logos, are you okay? Really?"

"Fine, I'm worried about you," He scrunched up his nose a bit and furrowed his brows, "Boss…"

"I'm better than ever," She looked back up at the doll, "Now that this can be all over soon."

"Let's try the box again," Logos pulled the box that they had purchased from the Guado shop out from behind him, "It probably can't get out now."

"Not likely," Leblanc stood up, "But I don't want to deal with it now. I just want to have a three second break, it isn't going anywhere anyways…"

_Greeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaarrrrrr!_

"Want some tea?" Logos sighed as the sharp teeth that was once in it's mouth rattled on the floor but didn't go any further, "Leblanc?"

"Hmm," She hummed contently and lifted her head from the ground, "Sure. Let me change first though."

**L.O.L.**

It was so late when the tea finally finished boiling and Logos poured it into the cups.

"I'm surprised no one's inquired about the noise yet," Logos nervously chuckled a bit under his breath, "Yelling and thumping and fighting with that damn thing and all."

"They probably think something about us," Leblanc sighed, fully taking in their behavior that past couple of weeks now that she was free of the 'burden', "We've been holding each other's hands, sneaking out, going to each other's rooms, not talking to anyone else-"

"I see," Logos held up his hand and blushed, "I can see why they'd not ask when-."

"Yeah, thumping is 'normal' when they think **that**," Leblanc pulled up the tea and took a sip before putting it down and going to the cabinet, "Hmm, we'll set it right, somehow."

"Fiend?" Logos gave a lazy shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm going with more of denial and no supportive clues from there forth," Leblanc pulled out the honey and went back to the counter, "Got it?"

He sighed, "Yes, boss."

"Oh, now what are you upset over?" Leblanc stuck in a spoon into the jar of golden stickiness and pulled it out with a hearty bit of it, treating herself for dealing with all this nonsense.

"Nothing!" Logos waved his hands then slapped the back of his neck, "I just-hmm, nothing, I got it, Boss."

Leblanc stirred in the honey to the warmth of her tea, "Good."

_Do you really need that much honey?_

"Oh that is it!" The spoon clattered against the table top and Leblanc immediately went to the broken and cracked face that was the doll's entire face.

"Hold on, Boss," Logos withdrew the box from his coat and held it out to her to take, "Use this."

"Oh this is going to be too sweet," Leblanc snatched the doll up from the table top, interrupting the rolling sound as it tried to escape from her and she gladly took the box with her other hand. "Open it Logos."

The code, the key, then she smiled.

"Try getting out of there," Leblanc rattled the box, the mix of soft and hard thumping inside.

"Boss," Logos held out his hand, "Let's burn it to make sure."

"Good idea," Leblanc sniffed, "Got any matches?"

"I do," He dug into his coat and procured a match book with a smirk, a blue bird painted on the outside, "The stove should be a safe place to burn it."

"Oh..okay," Leblanc had a hard time retracting her eyes away from the three birds on the outside of the book, "Tha-"

_**Flick!**_

The flame flickered and Logos put it down to the tinder inside the clay oven.

"Logos, wait-" Leblanc held out her hand as the fire started to burn, "Maybe we should just bury it."

"What if some one else finds it then?" Logos blew at the heart, "No, we should burn it to save everyone else the trouble."

"I see your point but we don't know what it's going to do then," Leblanc clutched the box and felt the shaking inside, "It's going to do something to you."

"To me?"

"I just know it so listen to me!" Leblanc yanked the box back, "Do anything to it but destroy it!"

"Boss," Logos, like when in her room and she wouldn't let him in, approached her gently, "Why can't we get rid of it?"

"I know you want to, I do too." Leblanc held out the box, "But we can't burn it."

"What would happen?" Logos blinked and followed her gaze downward, "Uhm, Boss?"

"I had a…dream earlier. I don't want what I think happened in it to happen for real," Leblanc frowned and pulled the matchbook from his palm, "Do anything but burn it."

"Alright," Logos sighed, "But how else can we get rid of it to be sure that even years from now, no one will find it?"

"I don't know!" Leblanc's hands trembled and she slowly gave up the box, "Just do it quickly."

The box was tossed in and black smoke engulfed it instantly. The box crackled and popped as the fire ate away at it and at last, like they both half expected, there was a voice:

_DIE! DIE! DIE! DIe! Die! Die. die. di-, d-_

"Logos?" Leblanc clutched her throat and coughed, "What the hell?"

He clenched his chest and pulled his shirt as he struggled to breath, "Boss?"

Leblanc looked around the room, her eyes burning. She only know realized it.

The room was rectangular, made of wood, and was painted with the same Guado color of the box.

Smoke filled up the room and Leblanc felt tears down her eyes as she began to weep, _why can't I escape this craziness! _

"There!" Logos shut the oven door and the smoke stopped billowing out, "That was not a smart move to keep it open like that, heh, my apologies Bos-""LOGOS!"

**L.O.L.**

"Mm-hmm," Ormi raised a thick black eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"We are not a damn couple Ormi," Leblanc slapped the table, the smoke finally cleared from the room, "We were doing a favor for Noojie-Woojie of course."

"An' that's why youse two were holding each other's hands and going to each other's rooms and night and sleeping in the same rooms and always hollerin' each other's names and-"

"I think we get it, Ormi," Logos glared through his sharp dusky eyes, "You can stop that now."

"So's youse two wants me to drop's it?"

"PLEASE!" They both frowned and gave a quick nod.

"Fiiinnnneee," Ormi, displeased with the results, pouted, "Youse guys are hiding something's from me those."

"Oh, I won't lie, we are," Leblanc waved her hand through the air, "But if it was our 'relationship' we would tell you first over anybody, Ormi. But it's not that."

"Humph!" Ormi smiled and his eyes sparkled a bit, "I know's that! Jus' make sho' youse remember that!"

"Never forget it," Logos rolled his eyes and stuck his little finger in his ear from the booming voice, "How could I when you damn near announce it to everybody?"

"_**Good bird," The man patted the blue bird's head and smiled his white straight teeth, "You did good."**_

**And as the saying goes folks- **

_The End. _

**a/n: Are horror's supposed to have bad endings? I told you I don't know how to write these! But all the same, I hope it was a good read. Comment! **


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